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Place dossier plate
SheetNH-AMHERST-NH · Amherst, NH 756 pop · income 96th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Amherst
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Amherst on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Mound City · lowest
39,808
Mound City · lowest
39,808 median HH income
19.9% of the leader · rank #1
Shoal Creek · near
165,625
Shoal Creek · near
165,625 median HH income
82.8% of the leader · rank #2
Corralitos · near
165,670
Corralitos · near
165,670 median HH income
82.8% of the leader · rank #3
Amherst · this city
165,714
Amherst · this city
165,714 median HH income
82.8% of the leader · rank #4
East Shoreham · near
165,789
East Shoreham · near
165,789 median HH income
82.8% of the leader · rank #5
Walcott · near
165,828
Walcott · near
165,828 median HH income
82.9% of the leader · rank #6
Klondike Corn… · highest
200,143
Klondike Corn… · highest
200,143 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Amherst on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 756.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Amherst - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Amherst lands in the 96th percentile for household income and the 66th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
96th
percentile, household income
84th
percentile, home value
86th
percentile, median rent
66th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Amherst, NH
756 people live in Amherst, New Hampshire - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $165,714 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 0.0%. Typical homes in Amherst are valued around $482,800, and the median resident age is 39.5 years. 67.0% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 58.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Amherst reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 939.4 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
New Hampshire carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 104.2 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,894 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $307 across New Hampshire, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 69.9 out of 100 (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Amherst's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to work and mobility to housing and income to schools and households to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Amherst, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Comparison shortlist
Which cities make useful reference points for Amherst?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within New Hampshire, the closest population matches are North Haverhill (740 residents, $55,192 income); Klondike Corner (800 residents, $200,143 income); Lisbon (832 residents, $63,750 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Aguanga, CA (756 residents); Cedar Key, FL (756 residents); Horseshoe Bend, ID (756 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
What does the journey to work look like in Amherst?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 70.6%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
How far does income reach against housing in Amherst?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 0.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 67.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Amherst?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 939.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 59% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
939.4
Violent rate
8.4
Property rate
931.1
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Top-decile income · poverty 0.0% (Very low poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
104.2 (US=100)
High cost · BEA RPP 2024, New Hampshire average
A-
City profile score · Amherst, NH
83/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Household income A+
$165,714
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate A+
0.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share A+
67.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime A+
8 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living F
104.2 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Amherst profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 100/100 (A+) · $165,714
Poverty rate: 100/100 (A+) · 0.0%
Bachelor's+ share: 96/100 (A+) · 67.0%
Violent crime: 95/100 (A+) · 8 /100k
Cost of living: 23/100 (F) · 104.2 index
Where Amherst sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Amherst's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Amherst highlighted among 24 peers.Read the chart values
Amherst, NH (this city): home $482,800, crime 939/100k
Lisbon, NH : home $167,500, crime 244/100k
Loudon, NH : home $402,200, crime 399/100k
Charlestown, NH : home $92,500, crime 441/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Amherst compare to other US cities?
Where Amherst sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income96% higher than other cities
Home value84% pricier than other cities
Median rent86% pricier than other cities
Safety66% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to New Hampshire alone, Amherst ranks #29 of 53 New Hampshire cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Amherst against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to New Hampshire only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
New Hampshire-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Amherst near the bottom of New Hampshire's cities
Among the 100 New Hampshire cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Amherst ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Amherst only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#3 of 92
97th percentile in New Hampshire
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 100
0th percentile in New Hampshire
Median Home Value
#6 of 94
94th percentile in New Hampshire
Poverty Rate
#71 of 99
0th percentile in New Hampshire
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#7 of 100
93rd percentile in New Hampshire
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within New Hampshire only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
96th percentile nationally for median household income · 66th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Amherst's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Amherst's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Amherst's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$482,80016th percentilemore affordable than 16% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Amherst's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#6,213 of 15,516
More affordable than 60% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#5,318 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.9×, Amherst sits in the affordable band:
national rank #6,213 of 15,516 and #5,318 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$165,714Amherst, NH median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Amherst, NH median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Amherst, NH.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)67.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)0.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)58.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
756
Median Income
$165,714
Median Home Value
$482,800
Median Age
39.5
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
58.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
67.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
939.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
8.4
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
931.1
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
70.6%
Carpool
1.2%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.5%
Work from Home
26.8%
Based on 343 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
New Hampshire statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $307
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across New Hampshire at $307 (electricity about $150 , water and sewer about $52 ).
These are New Hampshire statewide averages, not a meter reading for Amherst. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
New Hampshire's BEA cost-of-living index is 104.2 (Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Amherst is $1,894/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to New Hampshire statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 69.9 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a New Hampshire statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Amherst sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Amherst compares to similar-size New Hampshire cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.